The present invention relates to containers such as containers for carrying power generators, and more particularly to a reinforced wall structure for such containers.
It is known to provide corrugated wall structures for containers, to reinforce their structural integrity. Indeed, large containers may be loaded with heavy equipment, and the stresses which will be induced in their wall structure may be very important. A conventional corrugated wall structure includes a flat metallic panel which is bent into a corrugated form. That is to say, at regular intervals along the wall panel, the flat wall panel will include a bent portion which will form an outwardly protruding rib vertically disposed on the container wall.
Such a corrugated form for containers is useful in the field of high-output mobile power generator units, in which a high-output power generating motor assembly including a motor, a flywheel, a drive, a muffler, exhaust pipes, a fuel tank, a cooling radiator, cooling fans, and other elements known in the art, is carried inside a container usually in the form of a semi-trailer container which can be carried by a tow-truck. The known purpose of mobile power generator units is to provide power to electric grid portions which suffer from power shortage, which do not have access to other conventional power sources, or as a fall-back option for conventional electric grids in addition to other conventional power sources. The elements carried by the semi-trailer container are very heavy, and the loads and stresses induced thereby can exceed the structural resistance limits of usual corrugated containers, or at least can exceed the allowed limits according to certification organizations. These exceeded structural resistance limits of the semi-trailer containers occur since the wall structure of the semi-trailer container is weakened by the presence of a number of openings made therein. These openings are essential to the working of the mobile power generator, and include for example the following openings: fresh air intake ports for the cooling radiators, for the flywheel, and for the motor; maintenance doors allowing access to different parts of the mobile generator unit; warm air outlet ports allowing warm air to be exhausted from within the mobile generator unit; gas inlet port; etc . . .
This problem is emphasized when the semi-trailer container has to be carried over ground with a lifting mechanism such as a crane, for example when loading the semi-trailer container in a boat for overseas shipping. Indeed, unusual stresses will then be incurred in the semi-trailer container wall structure, apart from the usual gravity-borne stresses. The semi-trailer container will be subjected to torsion and flexing stresses that may well permanently damage its wall structure, due to the crane lifting the semi-trailer container with cables which hook onto comer castings provided on the top portion of the semi-trailer container, and important stresses will then result on the semi-trailer container, and more particularly on its wall panels, at other areas than on its conventionally reinforced floor panel.
One way to circumvent this problem is to provide thicker wall panels, but this is a highly undesirable option, since the overall weight of the container is then significantly increased.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a resistant yet simple wall structure for containers.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a resistant wall structure specifically for containers used in mobile power generator units.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a resistant yet relatively light-weight wall structure for containers.
The present invention relates to a container for carrying heavy equipment therein defining an upper and a lower end, and comprising a floor panel at said lower end and a peripheral wall upstanding from said floor panel and fixedly attached thereto, said peripheral wall enclosing an inner chamber and being made from at least one rigid corrugated sheet of material, said at least one corrugated sheet having a number of spaced-apart, vertically extending ribs each defining a concave surface and a convex surface, wherein each said at least one corrugated sheet has a number of elongated rigid reinforcement strips each vertically fixedly attached to said corrugated sheet in facing register with the concave surface of a corresponding said rib.
Preferably, all said rib concave surfaces are oriented towards said inner chamber.
Preferably, said peripheral wall panel comprises flat wall panel portions between which said ribs are located, each said rib being defined by a pair of parallel, spaced-apart flanking wall portions outwardly and integrally extending from two sequentially adjacent said flat wall panel portions, and an end wall portion transversal to and integrally linking said flanking wall portions at outer end portions thereof, a number of said flat wall panel portions being made integrally with corresponding flanking wall portions and end wall portions from a bent sheet of metallic material.
Preferably, each said flanking wall portion extends outwardly and perpendicularly from a corresponding side wall portion, and wherein each said end wall portion perpendicularly bridges two corresponding flanking wall portions at said outer end portions thereof.
Preferably, each said reinforcement strip extends for the full length of a corresponding said rib.
Preferably, each said reinforcement strip is made from the same metallic material as said bent sheet of metallic material.
Preferably, each said reinforcement strip is welded to said sheet of metallic material on each side of a corresponding said rib.
Preferably, each said reinforcement strip is welded to said sheet of metallic material with welding seams.
Preferably, said strip defines two longitudinal edges, and wherein said welding seams occupy 33% of the length of each longitudinal edge of each strip.
Preferably, each said rib is provided with a corresponding reinforcement strip.
The present invention further relates to a mobile power generator unit comprising a movable container for use in carrying a power generating motor assembly, said container defining an upper and a lower end and including a floor panel at said lower end for supporting said power generating motor assembly, a peripheral wall upstanding from and fixedly attached to said floor panel and enclosing an inner chamber for containing said power generating motor assembly, and a ceiling panel attached to said peripheral wall at said upper end of said container, said peripheral wall including:
a number of corrugated wall panels each made from a bent sheet of material and defining a number of spaced-apart, vertically extending ribs each defining a concave surface and an opposite convex surface;
a number of rigid elongated reinforcement strips each vertically fixedly attached to a said corrugated wall panel in facing register with the concave surface of a corresponding said rib.
Preferably, said container peripheral is generally rectangular and comprises two sides each formed with a said corrugated wall panel, and an end wall and a front wall.